MELTA

MELTA AGM
2023-03-25 16:00 - 18:00 (Europe/Berlin)
This year’s Melta AGM will take place on the
First floor of the Bogenhausen VHS
Rosenkavalierplatz 16, Munich
(U-Bahn: Arabella Park)
at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 25, 2023, and will be preceded at 2:00 p.m. by an in-person workshop on practical classroom activities conducted by Bethan Stokes and at 3:30 p.m. by a coffee-and-cake session.

Skill Building through Activities for Business English
2023-04-29 14:00 - 18:00
Today, business English, In-company, small group, and one-to-one classes are as diverse as the students themselves. The learning needs and goals of individuals differ and creating lesson plans, using stock materials, and standard coursebooks are no longer enough to achieve a successful outcome. This requires a distinct set of skills, best practices, and strategies to help your students reach their full potential.
This workshop will address the challenges and present activities in negotiating, versatility, and readiness through upskilling your own intuition and improvisation abilities.
Find out how no plan might be the best plan to succeed.
Please register for these events at info@melta.de
Rob Howard is the Online Language Center and Business Language Training Institute owner, EFLtalks founder, a teacher, trainer, coach, writer on business English, entrepreneurship, one-to-one, and online teaching. He is IATEFL Poland vice-president, IATEFL BESIG Joint Coordinator, Gallery Teachers Masterclass presenter, iTDi TOEFL trainer, and Independent Authors & Publishers co-founder.

WEBINAR: WRITING SKILLS FOR NON-JOURNALISTS: TIPS AND TRICKS
2023-06-17 11:00 - 13:00
English teachers and trainers often need to write as part of their job, whether producing materials for learners or articles for publications. But many don’t feel confident about their writing skills.
Based on his experience of more than 25 years as editor-in-chief of Spotlight and Business Spotlight magazines, MELTA member Ian McMaster will go back to some of the basic principles of good writing to provide tips that will be helpful to both teachers and students. Workshop participants are invited to bring along their own tips for better writing.
Ian McMaster is a business communication consultant, author and journalist. He was editor-in-chief of Business Spotlight magazine from 2001 to 2021 and is a former coordinator of IATEFL BESIG. His latest publication (forthcoming, with Bob Dignen) is Trainingsbuch Business English: Kommunikation und Zusammenarbeit in internationalen Teams (Haufe)
To register, just send an e-mail to: info@melta.de

Maximizing the power of real-world content in the language classroom: presenter: Alex Warren
2023-07-01 09:00 - 13:00
Rosenkavalierplatz 16, first floor (in Arabella Park, U4), VHS München Bogenhausen
For language learning to be effective it needs to be meaningful and relevant, allowing students to make connections to their own lives and the world they live in. Thus using real-world content, scenarios and activities in the language classroom is a must for learning to happen. With examples from NGL’s Voices series, in this session we’ll explore how by using National Geographic content – photos, texts, explorers – we can truly bring the world to the classroom and the classroom to life.
Please register for these events at info@melta.de

MELTA Beer garden social
2023-07-29 18:00 - 22:00
The annual Melta Beergarden social is coming round again!
Another year older, another year wiser!
But no worries!
The Braunauer Hof is booked – for July 29, @6:00p.m.
Frauenstraße 40, 80469 München – i.e. about 50 steps from Isar-Tor S-Bahn station
As always, please register at info@melta.de

ELTABB Online Workshop: "Using the new CEFR Framework to Assess Speaking Performance"
2023-09-30 10:00 - 13:00
Unlock the secret to assessing speaking proficiency with the new CEFR
Do you want to empower your students to excel in speaking tasks? Join our dynamic workshop, where we look at the art of assessing speaking performance with the help of the new CEFR.
Many of our students want to enhance their speaking abilities, and as teachers, we often wonder how to effectively evaluate this crucial skill. Beyond vocabulary and accuracy, the CEFR offers a comprehensive toolkit for assessing proficiency.
Click here for more information, and to register

Assessing Speaking Performance with the new CEFR Framework
2023-10-14 10:00 - 13:00
Free for members of German ELTAs
Register at events@eltabb.com

Spicing Up Your Course book
2023-11-11 11:00 - 14:30
Course books provide teachers and learners a secure basis for lessons. However, if both parties are over dependent on their structure and content, lessons may become predictable and lifeless. This practical workshop will offer you the opportunity to engage with ways of using published material with greater variety, energy and depth.
Simon Marshall is a teacher trainer at York St John University. He has worked as an ELT teacher, trainer and academic manager for more than 40 years for various organisations, including Pilgrims, International House and the British Council. Simon is particularly interested in the principled application of Humanistic Approaches to language teaching and teacher development. He is also a keen etymologist and reader of philosophy and psychology.
Please register at info@melta.de
Location: VHS Rosenkavalierplatz 16, U-4 Arabellapark

Chat GPT webinar with Amanda Momeni
2023-12-09 10:00 - 12:30
Please register at: info@Melta.de
AI is here to stay and rather than steering clear, it is inevitable that we could and should be introducing it into our teaching. In this workshop, we will learn how to use ChatGPT to aid our planning and our courses . We will look at the pros and cons of using AI and focus on classroom activities generated by Chat GPT including different genres of text. Finally the participants will have the chance to play around with creating their own classroom activities using ChatGPT.
Amanda Momeni is an experienced language trainer and CELTA trainer based in Munich. She has co-written a book and co-hosts a blog aimed at CELTA trainees. She has been teaching for over 25 years and is now embracing the new developments that AI brings.

MELTA Christmas party!
2023-12-09 19:00 - 22:00
Join us for our Christmas party, with food and drink, songs and lots of fun. Meet other teachers and celebrate the end of the year!
December 9, from 7pm – In the VHS Arabella Park, Rosenkavalierplatz 16
Register at info@melta.de

Pep up your professional profile: enhance your online impact
2024-02-17 14:00 - 16:00
It is not an easy task for a Business English professional to create and maintain an authentic online presence that presents, and represents, their current identity to potential clients. In
this interactive workshop we will explore the relevant facets of language teacher identity (LTI), consider real clients’ feedback and work through a 30-point checklist so you can refresh
your own professional profile and enhance your online impact.
Maria Szugfil is a business English teacher with over 20 years’ experience, a materials writer and an aspiring author.
Join us on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024 at 2 p.m. for the online webinar.
Register at https://bit.ly/MS4ELTA

Melta Annual General Meeting
2024-03-16 16:00 - 19:00
On Saturday, March 16, we’ll have the Melta Annual General Meeting! Come and join us and enjoy a chat with your colleagues over coffee and cake. And you could also be lucky and win a prize in the raffle!
The meeting begins officially at 4:30. Refreshments will be served from 4:00!
Just Drop a line to info@melta.de to let us know if you’ll be attending.

St. Patrick’s day parade
2024-03-17 12:00 - 16:00
The Melta marchers are no. 47 in the parade.
We take off from Münchner Freiheit at 12:00 – so, please be there 15-20 minutes before to get organised!
Just Drop a line to info@melta.de to let us know if you’ll be attending.
Link to the parade website

Global issues as a basis for Business English courses in higher education (Organized by ELTA Rhine)
2024-04-13 10:00 - 13:00 | Online, Webinar
📍 Online
📅 April 13
🕒 10am

Hands-on show’n’tell event
2024-04-27 15:00 - 18:00 | VHS Arabellapark (first floor), Rosenkavalierplatz 16, München, Germany
Come one, come all to this spring’s hands-on show’n’tell event, where you’ll have an opportunity to meet, socialize and present one or more of your favourite classroom activities! As usual, beverages and a plethora of tasty cakes will be on hand.
When: April 27, 2024, 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Where: VHS Arabellapark, Rosenkavalierplatz 16
For more information, please contact info@melta.de

Idea & Good Practice Swap Shop, online and run by Helta in Hamburg
2024-05-04 11:00 - 13:00

Creating Lexical Notebooks with a Psycholinguistic Approach
2024-05-18 16:00 - 17:30 | Online, Webinar
Summary
In this online workshop, which was also held at this year’s IATEFL conference in Brighton, participants will explore and try out some interactive techniques to record vocabulary using both a lexical approach and psycholinguistic principles that are combined in a lexical notebook. The presenter, Olena Gyrych, will demonstrate how to engage learners in recording new lexis based on different learning styles and promote learner autonomy in keeping lexical notebooks. The presentation, which will last one hour, will be followed by a question and answer session. See you there!
Register at: info@melta.de
About the presenter

Olena is a qualified DELTA and TYLEC teacher and a teacher-trainer with more than ten years of experience teaching general and ESP English for adults and young learners, creating materials and delivering training sessions for teachers in Ukraine and the Middle East. She has presented in various online and offline conferences, including TESOL and IATEFL. She has experience teaching in the Administration of the President of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Qatari Emiri Royal Naval Forces and large corporations. She is also an organiser of the Psychology Speaking Club in Ukraine and Qatar, a certified Mental Heath First Aider and an international coach.

ELTAU update/catching up session on AI 2 event last month
2024-06-06 19:00 - 20:30
ELTAU will be holding an update/catching up session on our AI 2 event last month, where you can bring questions [on the session] or any experiences you would like to share. It will be on Thursday 6 June for [upto] 90 minutes from 19:00.
(please use the following Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81984061032?pwd=[REDACTED]
This session is open to those who did not attend the hybrid session on 20 April, so please spread the word to your members or others that you believe will be interested.

Indirect Learning Strategies
2024-06-08 15:00 - 18:00 | VHS Arabellapark (ground floor), Rosenkavalierplatz 16, Munich, Germany
Please note: This in-person event will be preceded at 2:30 p.m by a meet-and-greet session with coffee and cake.
Summary
In this hands-on workshop we will look at what is meant by indirect learning strategies and their importance in encouraging effective language learners. Participants will take part in a variety of activities that will develop the use of indirect strategies in our ELT classrooms and leave with a sound knowledge of what LS are, some food for thought as well as something fun to try in class on Monday.
Rebecca Oxford (1) classified indirect strategies in three groups; metacognitive strategies including planning and evaluating learning, affective strategies that deal with anxiety and encouragement, and social strategies which help improve social skills such as cooperation and empathy. We will look at why these skills are so important in the language classroom and give practical activity ideas that will enhance their use.
(1) Oxford, R. 1990 Language Learning
Register at info@melta.de
About the presenter

Rachael Harris is a qualified SEN coordinator and teaches ELT, literature, and media studies in a secondary school in Geneva, Switzerland. She has published various materials and articles in these fields, including her latest book, Activities for Developing Learning Strategies with Delta publishing. She is joint coordinator for IATEFL Inclusive Practices & SEN SIG and is passionate about discovering how all learners learn best.
VHS: Rosenkavalierplatz 16 (ground floor)

ELTAF Webinar: Creativity in the face of increased technology with Nik Peachey
2024-06-15 17:00 - 18:30
Creativity is not only an essential feature of language use but, with the rise of AI, it will be a key skill for employability over the coming decade. With classrooms moving progressively towards more tech orientated delivery how can we ensure that we don’t lose one of the most fulfilling and engaging aspects of learning?
In this session I will share a range of techniques and activities that will enable teachers to add a creative element to their teaching, whether it’s online or face to face. We will also look more closely at how we can help our students develop their creative thinking and problem-solving skills by looking more carefully at the creative process and how we apply different types of thinking.
By the end of this session, you should have a better idea of how creativity works as well as a collection of activities you can use with your students to stimulate their creativity and add another dimension to their language learning.
Register now

Dr Luke Prodromou presents: Shakespeare: Our contemporary? - The bard in the age of AI
2024-07-11 17:00 - 18:00
The ICC-Languages is delighted to extend a warm invitation to you for our July webinar.
Do not miss it! This is the last webinar before our summer break.
Dr Luke Prodromou presents: Shakespeare: Our contemporary? – The bard in the age of AI

Date: July 11 (Thursday)
Time: 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm (Central European Time)
Participation: free
For time zone references, please click here

Speaker
Dr Luke Prodromou has a BA from Bristol University in English, an MA in Shakespeare Studies from the Shakespeare Institute, Birmingham University, a Diploma in Teaching English as a Second Language (Leeds University), and a PhD (Nottingham University). His PhD thesis was published as English as Lingua Franca: A Corpus-based Analysis (Continuum, 2010). He is the author – with Lindsay Clandfield – of the award-winning Dealing with Difficulties and numerous textbooks for students of English.
Abstract
Is Shakespeare still relevant today? What does his work have to say about the issues facing us in the 21st-century? Is he outdated or is his voice as powerful and as important as ever? On the one hand, there are those who say many of his works should no longer be taught to school kids or performed on the modern stage at all. In this webinar, I will argue that he is, indeed, as relevant as he ever was, and was, in many respects, ahead of his time.
In this webinar, I will look at the way Shakespeare presents the tragedy of war, its causes and its consequences. I will also look at plays in which he tackles rebellion and even revolution against the state: what position does he take on these ever important issues. Is he a radical, a conservative or neither?
Come along to the talk, and see if you agree that Shakespeare is, indeed, still our contemporary, and has a lot to teach the 21st-century, the age of artificial intelligence, with his genius and natural intelligence.
Click here to register

Penny Ur: From conflict to complement and games in the language classroom
2024-07-13 10:00 - 13:00 | Online, Webinar
Online, Webinar
Summary
This webinar has two parts.
Part 1: From conflict to complement
A number of controversies in ELT have given rise to hot – sometimes acrimonious – debate: for example, task-based language teaching (TBLT) as against presentation-practice-production (PPP). In this session I will look at a selection of such apparently opposing positions and explore how they might be combined in a principled and adaptable approach to effective English language teaching and teacher courses.

Part 2: Games in the language classroom: A good thing? A waste of time? It depends.
This talk will begin by defining what a ‘game’ is, and will then go on to explore the place of games in the language classroom. It cannot be taken for granted that because a game is connected to English and keeps students happily employed it is therefore worth doing. Many so-called language-learning games simply waste time on fruitless ‘busy-ness’, and may irritate serious students who realize that they are not learning much. I will try to identify some characteristics of genuinely learning-rich games, with examples, and suggest some ways in which routine classroom procedures can be transformed into game-like and enjoyable activities while clearly promoting effective engagement with target language features or providing rich opportunities for fluency practice.

To register, please send an email to: info@melta.de

About the presenter
Penny Ur has extensive experience as an English teacher in primary, secondary and tertiary education and has taught courses for teachers at Oranim Academic College of Education and Haifa University. She has also lectured extensively at conferences worldwide. She is particularly interested in practical aspects of effective English language teaching and the place of research as a source of professional knowledge. She was for ten years the editor of the Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers series. Her books include Grammar practice activities (2nd Edition) (2009), Vocabulary activities (2012), A course in English language teaching (2012), Discussions and more (2014), Penny Ur’s 100 tips (2016), Penny Ur’s 77 tips for vocabulary teaching (2022), all published by Cambridge University Press.

Melta Beergarden Social 2024
2024-07-20 18:00

BESIG Online Symposium - Creating Customised Content with the Help of AI Tools
2024-09-28 10:00 - 18:00
Discover how generative AI can revolutionise the way we create customised materials for our learners. Our expert speakers will dive into key questions such as:

How can we effectively integrate generative AI tools in the classroom?
What are the game-changing benefits and potential pitfalls?
How can we leverage these tools to maximize learning outcomes?
What knowledge should we impart to our learners about using generative AI?

Expect practical demonstrations of AI classroom tools that you can start using right away.
Speakers include: Alex Asher, Joe Dale, Kirsten Holt, Melanie Hussell, Parisa Mehran, Nik Peachey, Pete Sharma, Russell Stannard, Rob Szabo, Jo Szoke and Phoebe Tsai
Free for IATEFL members
20 GBP for non-members
Registration closes at 4pm UK time 25 September.
For further information, please contact Silke Riegler at silke.riegler@t-online.de

Working in international teams: what can we do better and how can AI help?
2024-10-12 14:30 - 17:45 | VHS Arabellapark (first floor), Rosenkavalierplatz 16, München, Germany
Please note: This in-person event will be preceded at 2:00 p.m. by a meet and greet session with coffee and cake.

Summary
More and more people work in international teams, whether as leaders or team members, face-to-face or remotely. This can be stimulating but typically involves different working styles and cultures, leading to potential misunderstandings and conflict. Using content from the book Trainingsbuch Business English (Haufe), participants will be encouraged to reflect on how they can encourage clients to develop effective strategies for international collaboration. We will also explore ways in which artificial intelligence — and “intelligent artificiality” — can improve team performance and help to achieve better business results.
To register, please send an e-mail to: info@melta.de

About the Presenter
Ian McMaster is a business communication consultant and author and has been a MELTA member for more than 30 years. He was editor-in-chief of Business Spotlight from 2001-2021 and is a former coordinator of IATEFL BESIG. His latest book (in English with Bob Dignen) is Trainingsbuch Business English (Haufe).

Online event: TRUE STORY! Winning Hearts & Minds through Storytelling
2024-10-19 10:00 - 14:00 | Online, Webinar
Summary
In this highly practical and interactive session, we’ll explore the why, what and how of storytelling for business and professional purposes. We’ll identify the most effective storytelling technique. And we’ll try out awareness-raising activities based on authentic video clips as well as simple narrative-frameworks that will coax a compelling story out of the shyest speaker!
To register, please send an e-mail to: info@melta.de

About the presenter
Mark Powell has been involved in Business English as a trainer, director of studies, publisher and instructional designer since 1989. He has also been an accredited teacher trainer with both the London Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Trinity College London, running the Cert TEB and Cert IBET more times than any other individual trainer. A popular keynote speaker at educational conferences all over the world, his bestselling titles include In Company (Macmillan), Presenting in English (Heinle-Cengage Learning), Dynamic Presentations and International Negotiations (both Cambridge University Press). More recently, he has turned his attention to the fertile middle ground between language and soft skills development and is currently setting up a training company to focus on this emerging market – Soft Skill Studio.

Online HELTA Workshop
2024-11-09 14:00 - 15:30

Direct learning strategies to support learner skills
2024-11-16 10:00 - 12:00 | Online, Webinar
Summary
After looking at indirect learning strategies in our face -to- face workshop earlier this year, in this webinar we will be delving into direct strategies and looking at ways to help your students learn how to improve skills (such as reading, writing, etc.) and learn vocabulary and grammar as well as looking at effective exam preparation. As always with Rachael, after a lively session, participants will come away with food for thought and something fun and useful for the next class.
To register, please send an e-mail to: info@melta.de

About the presenter
Rachael Harris is a qualified SEN coordinator and teaches ELT, literature, and media studies in a secondary school in Geneva, Switzerland. She has published various materials and articles in these fields, including her latest book, Activities for Developing Learning Strategies with Delta publishing. She is joint coordinator for IATEFL Inclusive Practices & SEN SIG and is passionate about discovering how all learners learn best.

37th Annual IATEFL BESIG Conference
2024-11-22 - 2024-11-24
This year’s IATEFL BESIG will take place at Urban Valley Resort and Spa, Trig Wied Ghollieqa, San Gwann, Malta. The conference will begin at 14.00 on Friday, 22 November and end at 13.00 on Sunday, 24 November.
The conference theme is “Business Frontiers – Creating the future together”. Talks and workshops will focus on business English learning technologies, teaching practices, future-proofing and employability, sustainability and teaching in the global world.
Proposals for talks and workshops are welcome. The deadline for submissions is July 15, 2024. You can find the guidelines and the possibility to upload your proposal here.
Online registration for the conference will close on 18 November, although you can still register onsite in Malta. Follow this link for more information and to register for the conference.
Accommodation in Malta is available for a special rate at the resort. Email address for reservations is: reservations@urbanvalleyresort.com using code “IATEFL BESIG 2024”. The deadline for conference rates is 31/08/24.

Melta Christmas party 2024!
2024-12-07 19:00 - 23:00
Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat …
And Melta is preparing for its annual Christmas Smash!
If you’d like to present or (try out!) a Christmas activity
that we can share in our classrooms,
just let us know in advance or simply present it then and there!
When: from 7p.m. on December 7, 2024
Where: at the VHS, Rosenkavalierplatz 16,
U-Bahn 4, Arabella Park
Melta will supply the drinks and we can all share
your wonderful culinary specialities …
Motto: caring is sharing!
The evening programme will also include:
Our annual – books, cds, teaching materials contributions – sale.
All contributions welcome!
All proceeds go to Ukraine’s school fund!
And Phyllis will be there to lead the Carols on the piano.
– Should you have any special wish for your favourite Carol – let us know.
As always: please register,
so that we have an idea of how many to expect –
at info@melta.de
CU there
The Folks at Melta
